A typical living or working space requires regular cleaning, which typically consists of washing and dusting floors, showers, dusting and washing ceilings, and dusting and cleaning furniture. However, often it is difficult to reach cathedral ceilings, apply dry carpet cleaners to delicate carpets, tile grout, and areas under low furniture, such as cabinets and appliances, using the same cleaning tool as used while washing showers and floors. Thus, when cleaning a living or working space, it is often necessary to use many different cleaning devices in order to properly clean all areas. This can be both time consuming and also provide physical discomfort, as many cleaning tools require one to climb and stand on ladders, kneel on the floor, or bend over.
In addition to the ergonomic considerations discussed above, multiple cleaning implements are also necessary due to the cleaning requirements of varied surfaces and types of dirt to be cleaned. For example, when cleaning a tile floor, it is often necessary to utilize a scrub brush in order to clean the grout between tiles, indents in tiles and linoleum which hold dirt, and a wet mop to clean tile surfaces. Between cleanings, the tiles and grout may be cleaned of surface dust utilizing a dry mop or broom.
Finally, there is no current cleaning apparatus that may be used on these varied surfaces without damaging delicate surfaces. For example, tile and other floors may be cleaned using multiple brushes, having hard and soft bristles respectively. However, these brushes are not adapted for cleaning furniture, and/or painted surfaces due to the risk of damage to those surfaces. Conversely, the soft cloths or dry mops typically utilized to clean these delicate surfaces are ineffective at cleaning floors.
Mops, both wet and dry, have been utilized for many years. In this time, many improvements have been made to the mop, and many of these improvements have been patented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,832,541 (the '541 patent) discloses a rectangular mop from which a brush attachment extends. However, this invention fails as an all-purpose cleaning apparatus, as the rectangular shape makes it impossible to fit into the grout of tile, and other hard to reach places. In addition, the simple one brush attachment provides only one type of bristle, thereby leaving the typical person wanting another type of bristle and, thus, requiring another cleaning tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,472,781 discloses another rectangular mop having a sponge attachment that includes a plurality of bristles extending from its front surface. Like the mop of the '541 patent, this mop is able to scrub some tile. However, this mop is also lacking multiple bristle types and a mop head shape proper for reaching tile grout and other hard to reach places.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,518,765 discloses a mop having a pair of parallel and opposing sponges between which are disposed a plurality of bristles. This mop also lacks multiple bristle types and a mop head that is dimensioned to properly clean tile grout and other hard to reach places.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,888 discloses a rectangular sponge mop having a brush attachment that attaches to the top of the sponge and has a plurality of bristles disposed along its front face. Again, the rectangular shape is not proper for cleaning tile grout and other hard to reach places, and there is only one type of bristle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,574 discloses a combined brush and mop having a dome shaped sponge portion and a plurality of bristle tufts extending radially from the flat dome top. Although this patent discloses a shaped sponge head with bristles, the shape is not proper for reaching tile grout and other hard to reach places, and there is only one type of bristle on the mop.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,152 discloses a rectangular sponge mop having a brush attachment fastened to it top surface. Again, the rectangular shape is not proper for reaching tile grout and other hard to reach places and there is only one type of brush attached to the mop, leaving the person cleaning wanting for other cleaning tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,656 discloses a rotatable head mop having a sponge on one surface, bristles on another surface and a squeegee on a third surface. Although the squeegee and rotatable head are improvements over the prior inventions, the shape of the sponge is still inconsistent with the proper shape for reaching tile grouts and other hard to reach places, and the lack of multiple bristle types makes it inappropriate for use as an all purpose cleaning apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,610 discloses a tufted sponge having a plurality of bristles extending through the body of the sponge. Again, the shape of the mop head is improper for cleaning tile grout and other hard to reach places, and there is only one type of bristle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,202 discloses a combined sponge, scouring pile material, and squeegee implement, which utilizes a block of foamed resin material having a scrubbing face recessed within the resin. Although this is an improvement over prior inventions, this tool still lacks multiple bristle types and a head shaped for proper tile grout cleaning and other hard to reach places.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,561 discloses a wringer mop having an auxiliary brush attachment that replaces the sponge in some circumstances. This invention fails as an all-purpose cleaning tool for it does not have a proper mop head shape for cleaning tile grout and other hard to reach places and also does not have a mop head that includes both a sponge and bristles. Additionally, this mop does not have multiple bristle types, which is a requirement for an all-purpose cleaning tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,356 discloses a combination sponge and handle having a rectangular shaped portion and a flat brush attached at one side of the brush. The preferred embodiment includes a scraper blade for scraping snow and the like. However, this invention does not include a properly shaped head for cleaning tile grout and other hard to reach places, nor does it have multiple bristle types for use as an all-purpose cleaning tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,287 discloses a scrub brush for flat and cornered surfaces including a domed top for easy fit within a user's hand. The patent discloses the use of two different sets of bristles, each of the same material, but of differing length. Although this scrub brush can be used for more surfaces than prior inventions, there is no sponge disclosed. Further, the scrub brush is not adapted for use with a handle, and thus requires one to kneel down in order to clean floors, and is impossible to use for dusting furniture or ceilings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,110 discloses a mop having an outer sponge section and an inner scrub brush section. However, all embodiments are rectangular which is a disadvantage for the tool can not be used to properly clean tile grout, nor reach under cabinets or appliances. Additionally, this tool does not disclose multiple sets of bristles having different lengths and hardness. Therefore, although this tool is useful for cleaning some areas, it may not be used as an all-purpose cleaning tool.
An all-purpose cleaning tool that can be used as a mop, a tile grout scrubber, a hard bristled brush, a soft bristled brush, a duster, a wood polisher, and a thin sponge for reaching under cabinets, appliances, and other hard to reach areas, is not known in the art.